Studio Virginia

DECEMBER

12.29.05 - It's our second all-local music show, featuring artists that have appeared on Studio Virginia. Tune in to hear a variety of styles from some very talented musicians that hail from our listening area.

12.22.05 - Roanoke County author talks about memoir writing and her special books for children that help them explore their Turkish heritage; and a very unique audio memoir of childhood called "the Christmas Bomb" returns for another listen.

12.15.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, a Charlottesville musician talks about his first CD and a recent trip to help Hurricane Katrina victims on the Gulf Coast; another listen to an interview conducted in Roanoke with former ABC Nightline host Ted Koppel and essayist Dan Smith tackles the prickly topic of Christmas v. Holiday.

12.8.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, Virginia Tech professor Edward Falco's latest novel is a tale of the wrong road taken; the legendary group Hot Tuna comes to Blacksburg; and a new book details Robert E. Lee's last years as president of Washington & Lee University.

12.1.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, we'll meet a young folk singer from Charlottesville - she has earned rave reviews and even toured with the Dave Matthews Band; "A Wonderful Life" goes from holiday movie classic to stage show at Mill Mountain Theatre; and commentator Dan Smith with his books of the year.

NOVEMBER

11.24.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, "1964 - The Tribute" brings their popular Beatles show to the Jefferson Center in a performance being taped for a television documentary; plus a painter exhibits his "New York Visions" at Radford University and the Harry Potter craze explained.

11.17.05 - Medical salesman by day, bluegrass virtuoso at all other times - Roanoke County musician Chris Burton releases a new CD called "The Way I See It" with a little help from his friends; plus "Light and Liberty" - the words of Thomas Jefferson are turned into a book of compelling essays.

11.10.05 - Hollins University welcomes two very independent filmmakers to town; Roanoke Symphony Orchestra maestro David Wiley and seven church choirs offer a "Hymn for Hope" to shelter the homeless; plus a new book that examines the emerging women's movement in the 1930s - how it made a Wise County school teacher the unwitting hero of feminists.

11.3.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, a new exhibit of photography examines the 100-year flood in 1985 that besieged the Roanoke Valley; an arts and culture center called The Prizery gets off the ground in Southside; plus the Turtle Island String Quartet and flat-footing in the hills of southwestern Virginia.

OCTOBER

10.27.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, a newly renovated South Boston tobacco warehouse called "The Prizery" hosts jazz pianist Kenny Barron and the Turtle Island String Quartet; plus a Virginia Film Festival preview; Little Feat at the Jefferson Center; and "Frankenstein" on stage for young audiences in the Roanoke Valley.

10.20.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, the Virginia Museum of Transportation's Wanderlust 2 fundraiser may bring some Hollywood heavyweights to Roanoke; the Bedford Academy for the Arts has big plans for the future; and a retired chiropractor is "Mad About Alternatives" - alternative medicine that is - in a new documentary film that debuts this week.

10.13.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra opens its "Master Works" season - we'll talk to guest cellist Zuill Bailey and long-time RSO veteran James Glazebrook, who was the concertmaster for many years; plus a benefit show in Blacksburg called "Lies and Pies" brings you storytelling and bluegrass music together.

10.6.05 - Oktobertfest usually means a celebration of beer and wine - we'll talk to an expert on the subject; a southwest Virginia artist offers her rendition of the French Quarter to Hokie fans as a Katrina fundraiser; and the new play "Neon Man" is a tribute from one artist to another.

SEPTEMBER

9.29.05 - On this week's program, a Katrina relief concert in downtown Roanoke that will feature Celtic music; a Grammy-winning choral ensemble comes to Charlottesville; and it's "curtains up" on a new season of plays at Mill Mountain Theatre.

9.22.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, "La Traviata" kicks off the new season for Opera Roanoke; and "Man of Constant Sorrow" at the Barter Theatre chronicles the life and times of local bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley.

9.15.05 - On this week's show, the debut of a documentary about the history and culture of tobacco farmers in Southside Virginia; a Louisiana bluesman remembers his adopted hometown of New Orleans; plus a Washington and Lee professor offers food for thought with a new book about juries and the death penalty.

9.8.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, A "Taste of the Blue Ridge Blues and Jazz Festival" preview; a short course on jazz, blues and the City of New Orleans; and a tribute sculpted with steel from the fallen World Trade Center.

9.1.05 - On this week's show, the Appalachian Authors Guild helps local writers get published; the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra gets ready for a new season; and Art Zone exposes low-income children in Charlottesville to the wonders of culture.

AUGUST

8.25.05 - On this week's show, Gene Marrano reports on a new exhibit at the Radford University Art Museum, "Prize Fruits." Cara Modisett talks with bluegrass institution Doyle Lawson, part of the Voices of Mountain Music. The show is in collaboration with Blue Ridge Country magazine.

8.18.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, we'll feature three writers scheduled to appear at the first annual Franklin County Book Festival; plus Virginia Tech power forward and communications major Coleman Collins, with more of What's Happening in our listening area.

8.11.05 - On the next Studio Virginia: The O. Winston Link Museum in Roanoke opens a new exhibit that will transport visitors back in time. "Stick to Your Guns" showcases young artists once again. And a bluegrass band releases its first album through the Virginia Folklife program.

8.4.05 - The 50s musical Grease be-bops its way into Roanoke's Mill Mountain Theatre; a former "revenuer" writes a book about chasing moonshiners and rumrunners; plus we go backstage with a mandolin virtuoso at last week's Fiddle Fest.

JULY

7.28.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, a special preview of the upcoming season at Jefferson Center in Roanoke; the Virginia Highlands Festival gets underway in Abingdon and the third annual Fiddle Fest celebrates bluegrass music.

7.21.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, FloydFest returns to the mountains of southwestern Virginia next week; a major new work makes its debut at the Art Museum of Western Virginia; plus an essay about those foreign language instruction manuals translated to English - badly.

7.14.05 - On the next Studio Virginia: A former legislator publishes a new book on Virginia politics with contributions from some of the state's best-known lawmakers; a powerful exhibit at a small museum in Lynchburg speaks loudly about the past; public art in Roanoke could be a reality soon and a Ferrum College professor weighs in on Harry Potter with the sixth title in the series about to be released.

7.7.05 - On the next Studio Virginia: Our "Voices of Mountain Music" series presents an interview with bluegrass musician Del McCoury who talks about his long career and an early partnership with the legendary Bill Monroe; plus a railroad passenger terminal that now houses the O. Winston Link Museum turns 100 years old.

JUNE

6.30.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, a Roanoke man talks about being an extra on War of the Worlds; a veteran casting agent on what aspiring actors need to make it in show business; plus judge-turned-best-selling author Martin Clark.

6.23.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, a long time journalist and military historian talks about those pursuits and the media today; "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" is back onstage at Mill Mountain Theatre; plus another look at southern writer Ron Rash and his book "Saints at the River."

6.9.05 - A Lexington author talks about her series of books on George C. Marshall; a special film festival in Charlottesville from The Lighthouse Project; and a "how-to" guide for funerals called "Food to Die For" is helping raise money for a Lynchburg cemetery.

6.2.05 - A personal essay writing class uncovers creative skills in people from different walks of life; a poem written for a fallen friend uses the game of baseball to tell the story of a childhood bond; plus the Zendik Music Festival in West Virginia.

MAY

5.26.05 - Festival in the Park returns to Roanoke; WVTF essayist Dan Smith with his list of books to hit the beach with this summer; a radio veteran and classical music host tries his hand at novel writing; plus a well-respected Galax musician passes away.

5.19.05 - A former Virginia college professor writes a novel about the mysterious death of horses on a farm; and we revisit with a recently-graduated Radford University classical guitarist who did very well in his first international competition.

5.12.05 - A Roanoke native and former New York City art teacher helps assemble an exhibition of African American art; twin brothers debut a pair of works with the Salem Choral Society; and a new graphic novel from the University of Virginia is a cross between film and ink.

5.5.05 - Local Colors returns for the 15th year at a new location in downtown Roanoke; a young photographer stages her first exhibit images captured at past Local Colors festivals; and the Harrison Museum of African American Culture is optimistic about the future.

APRIL

4.28.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, the new director of Event Zone talks about his vision for downtown happenings in Roanoke and the revitalization he experienced in Lynchburg; plus two VMI professors team up to skewer the mass media in their first novel.

4.21.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, a story telling festival brings southern folklore and music to a Botetourt County venue this weekend; plus sounds from the recent Blue Ridge Vision Film Festival including a visit with well-known actor David Huddleston.

4.14.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, the Virginia Writer's Club lends support to authors at all levels; a Lexington-based counselor wants to help people "Disentangle" from bad relationships with her new book; backstage at Jefferson Center with Emmylou Harris; and a Charlottesville folk artist at a storytelling festival in Fincastle.

4.7.05 - The third annual Blue Ridge Vision Film Festival returns to Roanoke with homegrown feature movies and big-name celebrities; a former college roommate pays tribute on stage to The Neon Man; and ArtsFusion uncovers a thriving community in Blacksburg.

MARCH

3.31.05 - On Studio Virginia this week, host Cara Modisett talks with writer Joe Tennis about his book on southwest Virginia crossroads. Also on the show, essayist Dan Smith and writer Lisa Bacon.

3.24.05 - On the next Studio Virginia: public art and the funding for it; a series of workshops will examine that issue. Plus the new Art Museum of Western Virginia will be unveiled; a talk with bassist Victor Wooten shortly before his concert at Jefferson Center and essayist Dan Smith on his love-hate relationship with computers.

3.17.05 - Actress Marion Ramsey is best known for her Police Academy movie role as Officer Hooks, but she can sing as well. She's in Roanoke for an event this weekend. Plus Piping Hot brings a bit of Ireland to Mill Mountain; and The Lyric in Blacksburg turns 75.

3.10.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, a veteran Hollywood casting director talks about auditions, talent agencies, George Clooney - and Clint Eastwood - what a deeper pool of actors could mean for filmmaking in Southwest Virginia; plus a Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins on THAT book - "Juiced" by Jose Canseco.

3.3.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, a special conversation with Lynchburg journalist Libby Miller Fitzgerald. The former TV reporter and public radio show host has written a book about her father, Bill Miller, who ran for Vice President on a Republican ticket with Barry Goldwater in 1964. But you may remember Bill Miller best from his American Express ad. Don't miss Libby Miller Fitzgerald talking about her book, "Do You Know Me?" on the next Studio Virginia.

FEBRUARY

2.24.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, the Blue Ridge Writing Center in Roanoke gets ready to open; Young Audiences of Virginia brings the arts to school children; and a performance artist uses marionettes to help tell the story of the Holocaust.

2.17.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, the Bard is back on stage as "Hamlet" comes to Mill Mountain Theatre; the History Museum of Western Virginia offers an uncompromising look at the Civil Rights struggle in Virginia; and Gone With the Wind returns via an exhibit and upcoming book sequel; plus Virginia's Poet Laureate.

2.10.05 - Studio Virginia co-producer Cara Modisett talks with southwest Virginia author Sharyn McCrumb and NASCAR driver Ward Burton about McCrumb's new novel, St. Dale. The Roanoke Valley writer's latest book is centered around the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. and his legion of fans; the show is a partner program with Blue Ridge Country magazine, which features Sharyn McCrumb as a columnist in its March/April issue.

2.3.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, a Roanoke band called The Pop Rivets releases their first CD; an exhibit at the Art Museum of Western Virginia displays bold housing designs from the recent C2C competition; a Chinese New Year celebration, plus commentator Dan Smith asks "what's in a name?"

JANUARY

1.27.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, note Roanoke short story writer Kurt Rheinheimer releases his first volume of collected works; the curtain rises on a new season at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon; and the Festival of New Works is back on center stage at Mill Mountain Theatre.

1.20.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, Roanoke Symphony Orchestra conductor David Wiley moonlights with a chamber music quartet; the Oratorio Society in Charlottesville debuts at The Paramount; and graffiti as art in a time of war.

1.13.05 - On the next Studio Virginia, a balladeer who keeps "mountain music" alive comes to Bedford to promote her first novel about family life in the hills of Western Carolina; the popular musical duo of Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer comes to Roanoke's Jefferson Center, and the Academy of Fine Arts in Lynchburg reopens its doors.

1.6.05 - A book editor attempts to find out why people keep trying to write that bestseller, even in the face of long odds; Gov. Mark Warner weighs in on support for arts and culture; plus a housing design competition in Roanoke becomes an art exhibit.